65 and thriving: Marblehead's Shubie’s set to celebrate with loyal customers

Thursday

Feb 7, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 7, 2013 at 7:01 AM

The fictional Boston pub "Cheers" may have been the place where "everybody knows your name," but in Marblehead, up on Atlantic Avenue, there is a worthy challenger to that title. What’s perhaps even more remarkable about Shubie's Marketplace is...

Kris Olson / kolson@wickedlocal.com

The fictional Boston pub "Cheers" may have been the place where "everybody knows your name," but in Marblehead, up on Atlantic Avenue, there is a worthy challenger to that title. What’s perhaps even more remarkable is that chances are good that the person calling out to you as you pass through the automatic sliding doors at Shubie’s Marketplace won’t be a fellow patron but rather a member of the family that owns what has become a local landmark, and if not one of them, one of their dedicated, longtime staff members.

Shubie’s will celebrate its 65th anniversary this Saturday, Feb. 9, 1-5 p.m. in typical Shubie’s fashion. Members of the public will be welcomed to stop by to sip from an assortment of 30 Champagnes and fine wines, savor locally produced delicacies in an amped-up version of what has fondly become known as the "Shubie’s buffet" of weekend sample and enjoy a good deal on the store’s wares at the same time.

As many longtime residents are aware, Shubie’s has slowly been making its way down Atlantic Avenue over the years. When the father of the current patriarch of the Shube family, George, first bought the license to sell alcohol in town, the business shared space with a grocery store, Colbert’s, owned by George Shube’s aunt and uncle. The current site of CVS on Atlantic Avenue also served as home base for Shubie’s for a while, until in 1985, when the business made its first major expansion into half of what is now West Marine.

"That was a huge space for us at the time," said George Shube, noting that the business more than quadrupled its retail space, from 500 to about 2,300. Shube recalled that move being made "almost literally overnight."

"We closed up Saturday night at 45 Atlantic Ave., spent all day Sunday loading shelves, and we were open Monday morning at 9 a.m.," he said.

About a decade later, Shubie’s had the opportunity to take over the other half of the building at 32 Atlantic Ave., which was when the business "got into food in a serious way," George Shube explained.

He credited his wife, Carol, with helping take the business in that direction. Carol, he noted, had "started carving out little spaces to do specialty foods" like oils and vinegars and salsas.

While Carol had — and still has — a great passion for that aspect of the business, at the time, the move was more about survival. "Big box" stores had joined a crowded market of people selling alcohol, for one thing.

"It was a question of, ‘Are we going to be here next year?’" Carol said. "It was, ‘What do we do to stay interesting, to stay current, evolve and change.’"

The expansion allowed Shubie’s to expand into cheese and pastries and additional specialty foods and led to the hiring of its first executive chef, Liz Walkowicz, who was hired originally to run the business’ cheese department. But soon after her arrival, she began offering sandwiches and pastas. A two-burner hotplate grill became a four-burner electric stove. Shube’s was now in the food business to stay.

Home of their own

Shubie’s moved to its current location in January of 2005 into the site of a former Texaco gas station at 16 Atlantic Ave. George Shube explained that, while he never had any problems with any of the business’ landlords — "they were fabulous, always very fair people" — the chance to move into a home of its own was an "incredible opportunity."

"We were very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," he said.

The business may not have moved far physically, but in terms of its business plan, it had undergone a complete transformation from what was once just a liquor store but now is home to a bustling lunch counter, offering a variety of salads, soups and sandwiches, and a demonstration kitchen, where classes are sometimes held.

"Now, many people think of us primarily as a food establishment," George noted.

A family affair

George and Carol Shube have been married about as long as George has been involved in the business — 35 years — but, as Shubie’s loyal customers know, they aren’t the only Shubes overseeing various aspects of their business. Both George and Carol beam with pride talking about the involvement of their youngest son, Dougie, in the business.

"If I said, ‘Goes good with fish,’ he would draw a fish; if I said, ‘Goes good with beef,’ he would draw a cow,’" George said with a smile, adding regretfully that the signs had somehow gotten lost in the business’ move to its present location.

"When he was a kid, his brother and sister were always off doing an activity, rehearsing or practicing for something, and a lot of the time, Dougie would be left behind," George said. "He would come with me to the store and ring the register with me."

If it was a bit of subtle, unintentional brainwashing, Dougie now doesn’t seem to mind too much, though he jokes, "It’s not easy working with your parents, especially when I was living with them."

Dougie now retreats to Boston when not on duty at Shubie’s, but he otherwise wears comfortably the mantle of carrying on the family tradition of running the business eschewed by his siblings who found their niches elsewhere. His brother obtained a business degree and is now working for the Lego company, while his sister is a recent law-school graduate. Such buttoned-down environments — even in the toy industry — don’t appeal to Dougie.

"I could never see myself working in an office 9-to-5 — that’s a foreign concept," he says.

He much prefers the "fun, fast-paced" and unpredictable nature of Shubie’s.

Lots of support

Of course, Shubie’s is anything but a three-person show. All of Shubes are quick to credit their extended family of dedicated, long-time employees with the business’ success. Take, for example, current chef Lynne Aronson, who attended New York Restaurant School and is a former co-owner and executive chef of New York City’s Lola. Once named one of Esquire’s best young American chefs, it would not have been surprising if Aronson made Shubie’s merely a way station before heading off to perhaps more high-profile pursuits. But nine years later, Aronson is still plying her trade for the Shube family, making expert use of the capabilities offered by the kitchen in the new space.

Aronson is co-author of a book, "Bowl Food," described as "a collection of 200 eclectic recipes to spoon, slurp, twirl and dip," and that’s just what you’ll find many a lunch-hour customer doing on any given day.

Dougie Shube also points to a "core group" of women of a similar "vintage," affectionately known as "The Shubettes," each of whom have been with the business for several years.

"When I was growing up, they all looked out and cared for me," he explained. "It was like having 10 moms."

George noted that there are also male employees who have been with the business a dozen years or more.

Nonetheless, every time a customer walks through the door, they are likely to find at least one Shube on the premises. Far from being a burden, however, the Shubes all say that being there — to make a wine or food recommendation or otherwise assist a customer — is the least they can do.

Carol said that it doesn’t go unnoticed to her people who go out of their way to come to Shubie’s, if only for a cup of coffee, as they make a conscious choice to support a local business.

"I think Marblehead people came here because it’s important to them to be part of something," she said. "It’s why people choose to live in this area: because community matters, because people matter and relationships matter."

Adds George, "I’m grateful every time someone walks through the door. I’ve probably said that to someone 1,000 times."